Mohsen Namjoo

Mohssen Namjoo gained recognition chiefly through his fusion of traditional Persian music with Western idioms such as jazz, blues, and rock, yielding carefully constructed pieces that also introduced a novel vocal technique, the latter feature drawing sharp criticism. Born in 1976 in the modest city of Torbat-e-Jam in northeastern Iran, he spent his childhood in Mashhad, a place separate from his birthplace yet renowned for its dotar players. The death of his father, an event that left a deep mark on his life, prompted him to begin studying Iranian traditional music at the age of twelve. Under the tutelage of Nassrolah Nasseh-Pour he trained in the traditional vocal style known as avaz through courses run by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in Mashhad, completing the full repertoire after six years. In 1994 he entered the University of Dramatic Arts in Tehran after receiving an offer to study theatre. The following year, 1995, he joined the undergraduate music program at Tehran University, where professional instructors introduced him to Western music; artists such as Jim Morrison, Chris Issak, Mark Knopfler, The Doors, and Leonard Cohen, among others, shaped his musical outlook. He began composing in the early 1990s and has since created nearly one hundred works, nine of which were released by Barbad Music on his first official album, Toranj, in 2007. Although he writes lyrics himself, most songs on Toranj draw instead on verses by classical Iranian poets including Hafez, Rumi, and Sa`di. Even Persian listeners encountering his music for the first time may find the words somewhat difficult to follow, owing to his singular vocal delivery, a trait that has invited frequent critique. Some conservative listeners regard the often eccentric and playful shifts in his singing as disrespectful to Persian literature, while others experience them as intimate. In a documentary devoted to his life he states that his music is all about tearing apart taboos and experiencing new moulds. His work reveals a clear affinity for both Persian and Western traditions together with the willingness to combine them. He has appeared internationally at a concert forming part of Tehran Hotspot during the Rotterdam International Film Festival at Ro theatre, as well as at additional events in Utrecht, Venice, Rome at the Academy of Fine Arts, and Paris at La Baline Balanche. Since 1995 he has also supplied music for numerous Iranian short films, animations, and plays.